For the period November 4-11, 2023, the Northern Virginia Regional Commission led a 7-member team of career technical educators and teachers from Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) and Arlington County Schools (APS), to Stuttgart and Hamburg, Germany. The purpose of the one-week study tour was to research the German model of vocational training and apprenticeships in the electrical vehicles, renewable energy (solar) and sustainable technology sectors, in order to inform and potentially apply certain pedagogical innovations in the schools’ sustainability technology CTE programs. In Germany, the teachers and educational experts met with counterparts from German public schools, vocational training institutes, unions, guilds, businesses and chambers of commerce working with equivalent electric vehicle, renewable energy and utilities vocational training programs.
Learning from Germany’s experiences with career technical education in the sustainable energy sector is especially relevant for the Northern Virginia region. Germany is the second largest investor in the Northern Virginia region. Approximately 101 German firms invest over $800 million in Northern Virginia, creating approximately 6,000 jobs – mostly in the science and technology sectors and at wages often 15% higher than their U.S. counterparts in equivalent sectors. Moreover, the approval of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has the potential to steer sizeable investments into the development of sustainable energy technologies and create a parallel demand for a skilled workforce. Germany is the largest investor in the energy sector in the United States. The Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University reports that “European companies are the top source of FDI in the U.S. energy sector. German companies lead the way, accounting for 16% of 813 greenfield investment projects. Other notable European investors include France (9%), the UK (8%), and Spain (6%).”
The participants of the study tour were:
- Tricia Jacobs, Alexandria City Public Schools
- Patrick Earle, Alexandria City Public Schools
- Tanja Mayer-Harding, Alexandria City Public Schools
- Kris Martini, Arlington County Schools
- Arran Richards, Arlington County Schools
- Geovanni Castano, Dominion Energy
- Dale Medearis, Northern Virginia Regional Commission
Day One - November 6
Wilhelm-Maybach-Schule (Vocational Training institute)
Introduction for School Quality and Teacher’s Education Baden-Wuerttemberg (Alexander Öhlbach, International Cooperation Projects in Teachers’ Education). Overview and discussions about career technical education/apprenticeships in the automobile sector, especially the relationship to EV technician training. Discussion with “Zentrum fuer Schul-qualitaet und Lehrerbildung Baden-Wuerttemberg about international cooperation projects involving vocational training in the automobile sector.
Bosch in Stuttgart-Feuerbach
Visit facility and talk with Dr. Wolf Bonsiep about vocational training Stuttgart-Feuerbach. Overview and discussion about Bosch Corporation’s career technical education and apprenticeships in electronics and automobile sectors.
Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation
Re- and upskilling of workers in Stuttgart Region. Overview of Verband’s regional global economic engagement efforts as they relate to workforce development.
Day Two - November 7
IHK Bildungshaus
Realschule Stuttgart-Feuerbach
Meeting with Principal Herwig Rust and students about career orientation. Overview of the school’s pedagogical approaches and ties to short-term (i.e. one-week) local-level apprenticeships between the school and local/regional businesses such as Lidl, Deutschebahn (German Rail) among others. Discussion with school’s English-speaking students (10th graders/16-year-olds) about their studies, career perspectives and internship experiences.
Electro Technology Center
Education center for electrical and information technology. Overview and discussion about the electrician’s guild’s training and examination programs for apprentices.
Day Three - November 8
Netze BW (Utility for the Region)
Talk with utility about its workforce training program for the electricians. Overview and discussion about the utilities’ apprenticeships and safety training programs with the directors of safety and workforce training.
Travel to Hamburg
Day Four - November 9
VET School “BS 13”
Presentation about work of “BS 13”. Insight into the theoretical elements of renewable energy technologies for plant technician and heat engineering; LOK – learning value cooperation. Overview and discussion of the CTE training at the equivalent of a German community college – but with a focus on residential renewable energy technologies, such as heat pumps, geothermal heating/cooling, heat exchangers, plumbing, etc. Discussions with apprentices studying renewable energy technologies.
Paul Oplaender Haustechnik
Presentation of Oplaender training for electricians, solar energy and sustainable building technology. Guided tour of Oplaender solar technology company / Q&A. Overview and discussion by the CEO of a family-owned business working to retrofit City infrastructure with renewable energy systems/sustainable building retrofits, EV battery revitalization, district energy etc.
Alsterschwimmhalle
Presentation of the project for heat recovery and newest plant engineering in the modernized indoor swimming hall. Overview and discussion of City-led renewable energy/energy efficiency programs for large-scale infrastructure.
Day Five - November 10
Training Center of Motor Vehicle Guild
Presentation by Andreas Meister, Motor Vehicle Guild’s Director for Electro Mobility Competency Center / Insight into operation and maintenance of electric vehicles and tour of workshop. Overview and discussion with the local motor guild’s director of safety training on electric vehicles.
hySOLUTIONS Gmbh
Presentation by Sebastian Staffetius, Project Manager for Electromobility - hySOLUTIONS. Overview about the City of Hamburg’s e-mobility strategy by the director of marketing.
Stromnetz Hamburg
Day Six - November 11
Return to USA
Potential Short-Term (2023 - 2024) Activities / Goals
a. Approve and distribute study-tour report (Winter, 2023).
b. Develop and share a Powerpoint featuring slides/images about the lessons from the study tour, for potential use at school board meetings, City/County council meetings and other relevant briefings (November 2023).
c. Brief ACPS/APS school board/superintendents (and deputies) about study tour findings and follow-up activities (Winter/Spring 2024).
d. Brief region’s (and possible state-level) chambers of commerce and present lessons learned to the Virginia Association for Career and Technical Education Professional Development and Leadership Seminar in January 2024.
e. Explore potential partnerships between NVCC, NOVA school system, and industry stakeholders in the sustainable energy sectors to identify workforce development requirements to support the energy transition in NOVA and the Commonwealth, including workforce required to support electrification of residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, EV charging infrastructure, renewable energy deployments, etc.
f. Prepare a two-page article for publication in professional journals about findings/outcomes of study tour (Winter 2024).
g. Prepare a short blog about findings/outcomes of study tour (Winter 2024).
h. Develop 2-3 webinars involving study tour participants and counterparts across the region and Commonwealth (Winter/Spring 2024), especially with/for:
- ACPS/APS educators;
- With Northern Virginia CTE peers (especially Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties);
- With Commonwealth CTE peers (especially Virginia Beach CTE educators who visited Stuttgart in May 2023);
- Explore short-term internships/apprenticeships for ACPS/APS students with German-based firms active in the sustainable technology sector (e.g. Mercedes-Benz, VW, Rehau, Lidl, Airbus), drawing from Realschule Feuerbach as a potential model.
i. Expand Arlington CTE auto-tech internship at German car dealerships (such as Mercedes-Benz and VW) from 1 to 2 students (Summer/Fall 2024).
j. Explore potential partnership with Urban Alliance to develop pathway for internships/job shadowing for ACPS/APS CTE students at local utilities such as Alexandria Renew, Dominion Energy, or energy/climate related programs such as Arlington’s “Energy Masters” program (2024) – possibly develop High Quality work-based learning opportunities with this group.
k. Develop grant proposals for CTE teacher/student exchanges in summer 2025 and 2026 (2024).
l. Explore workshop at German Embassy to share study tour results and explore more formal partnerships with German-based businesses (especially in the sustainable technology sectors) through which elements of Dual System can be further applied in Northern Virginia (2024).
m. Consider development of an (parent-teacher) advisory committee within ACPS and/or APS schools to:
- Assist with the identification of possible business stakeholders willing to host students for internships/apprenticeships;
- Consider developing a strategy for ACPS and/or APS to guide outreach for creating student internships/apprenticeships – including some trade organizations; identify potential governmental (federal, state and local) regulatory barriers and/or funding opportunities incentive/restrict apprenticeships modeled after the Dual System.
Potential Longer-Term (2025 - 2026)
- Develop two student/teacher exchanges for the summers of 2025 and 2026 to study further applications of “Dual System” to Northern Virginia CTE programs involving sustainability technologies – possibly via a teacher-training partnership with an industry/commercial entity on the latest sustainable energy technologies.
- Develop opportunities with Northern Virginia Community College to strengthen the career-focused programs to ensure a solid foundation is provided at high schools for follow-up. Students transition seamlessly to further development of skills, problem-solving and advanced credentials tied to internship opportunities within the industry.
Study Tour Report
You can download a PDF copy of the Study Tour Report by clicking the button below.
Acknowledgements
NVRC wishes to acknowledge the generous financial support from Dominion Energy that made this study tour possible. We also wish to acknowledge the exceptional organizational support from the Verband Region Stuttgart and the Hamburger Institut fuer Berufliche Bildung (HIBB). We very much appreciated their patient help.
About the Northern Virginia Regional Commission
NVRC is a consortium of thirteen local governments representing more than 2.5 million residents. While only 3% of Virginia's land mass, Northern Virginia has a GDP of $250 Billion which is 41.4% of the GDP of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Northern Virginia’s GDP is larger than 23 states and the District of Columbia and if a country would be the 51st largest economy in the world.